Latvian State Revenue Service (VID) Internal Security Department together with other VID structures and Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) performed more than 15 searches as part of two criminal procedures and have detained five VID Tax Payment Promotion Department officials and three private persons suspected of abuse of power, document forgery, illegal excise goods distribution in large amounts in a group and money laundering, VID reports.
VID Internal Security Department director Aigars Prusaks explains that his department’s investigation and Tax Payment Promotion Department’s own internal control inspection revealed that the detained persons have engaged in illegal activities relating to the destruction of excise goods belonging to certain entrepreneurs.
During the investigation authorities found large amounts of cash, tobacco products, as well as more than 1 900 bottles of different alcoholic beverages in locations with ties to aforementioned persons.
«It is worth mentioning that representatives of the private sector provided useful information that assisted and sped up the investigation, because even Latvian and foreign entrepreneurs engaged in distribution of excise goods require a functional control system and fair business environment in the country,» says Prusaks.
Three of the detained persons decided to step down from their posts in VID. However, this does not relieve them of responsibility. The other two officials have been suspended and put under arrest. The remaining detainees have been presented with security measures not associated with deprivation of freedom.
VID director general Ieva Jaunzeme says the institution will adopt a comprehensive risk-based employee evaluation system. This will help identify dishonest employees.
VID Internal Security Department carefully works in close cooperation with the prosecution office and KNAB. The investigation is performed scrupulously. All this requires time, but the result is worth it, VID explains.
Jaunzeme says: «Knowing the corruption risks in public administration, VID has adopted an effective internal control system, and it has borne fruit. The fact that we’re talking about the situation over at VID in the context of corruption prevention does not mean VID is the only state institution subjected to such risks. What it does mean is that we have a system to manage risks and we are prepared to talk about it.»
Latvian VID Internal Security Internal Security Department detains eight people
